I'm Done With This
by Believe4Ever
Summary: Marshall has been through a lot. But now he's had enough. Hints of Gumlee. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Firstly, I apologize that this is a sort-of-long chapter, but I hope you guys will get into it and just want to keep reading. Second, I'm afraid that the beginning of how this conversation came to be may not be explained (I will try to, though) so just bear with it and just go along with it. Thank you! Please review and let me know if you enjoyed it or not!**

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"You're so annoying!" Gumball growled. "Glob, why don't you just leave me alone? You and your stupid axe bass . . .! Why don't you just _leave?!_"

My eyes were wide as he continued. When he finally finished, voice as loud as he could make it and making that cute crackle at the end, just like how I enjoyed before, I felt something inside of me crack. But this crack was one too many. Now my undead heart broke.

I couldn't take it anymore.

In my last thousand years of life, I'd been through a lot of things. A lot of personal issues with my mother, relationships that ended horribly, different adventures that had nearly killed me several times over, and through all of that I'd tried to keep my cool. Tried to seem like the bigger person, even if that person was sometimes a real jerk.

It seemed as if every year another crack was formed, another dent was made, another kick given. But just this past year alone had added a multitude of damages to my heart-guts. Gumball had been no help—in fact, he'd been the problem. I've tried to reach out to him but he's just slapped me away with harsh words. Fionna helped, but often enough either she took things too far or, even more likely, her stupid cat would hiss and say things that hurt a lot more than she realized.

But I tried to keep it hidden. I wrote my creepy songs, with their unintended purposes and alternate meanings, and my secret ballads that I'd never sing to anyone. I could never handle so much pain, so I let it out into my songs. But this year, there's been so much pain in such a short period of time.

I was done.

I gave the prince the tiniest of smiles, which only seemed to aggravate him more. I had an idea. It would be quick too, I wouldn't have to wait long. So I flew over to him and snatched up his crown from his gooey head, taking off deeper into the woods. I wanted someone there. I didn't want to be alone.

As expected, the prince stormed after me, full speed. I guess he didn't realize that I was flying at my usual pace. That was just as well. It wasn't as if people had cared about me anyway.

Nobody would notice a difference in me.

Soon enough I had led him through the forest and out to a clearing. It was like a meadow, green grass and everything, but it soon took a steep incline that led up to the tallest cliff in Aaa. It actually had a very beautiful view, for sunsets, sunrises, or even to just stare up at the stars. Not like I was ever able to do the first two. But right now the stars no longer twinkled in the sky.

It was close.

I decided to run the last little ways to the edge of the cliff. It was almost as if I was human again, feeling pressure against the soles of my feet and the squish of my shoes. When I got to the edge, and I looked out over the entire land of Aaa, seeing the Ice Kingdom in the distance, and the Candy Kingdom off to the west, and the Marshmallow Meadows in front of us, it almost made me regret what I wanted to do.

Almost.

I looked back to see Gumball out of breath a couple yards back. I turned so I faced him, feeling my heels back against open air. "Give . . . it . . . back!" he wheezed. He was doubled over from exhaustion and was supporting himself up by his knees.

I did as commanded. I tossed the tiara-like crown over to him. He caught it—after fumbling—and put it back on his head like the princely character he is. How I always adored the prim and proper way he'd treat it, while I denied my crown when I was first offered it. He straightened and coughed. When he felt well enough to speak, he gave me a glare.

"_What _was that for?!" he hissed. I gave another tiny smile. "What's with that stupid grin you're wearing?"

I didn't say anything. Instead, I took off my axe off my shoulder and swung it. Gumball flinched, as he always did when I did something with my bass that didn't include playing a song, and the blade sunk into the ground. It narrowly missed my foot.

"What . . . What are you doing?" His eyes were wider and almost seemed frightened by my outburst.

My heels were backed right up to the edge. I could feel my body waiver at the high breezes. Gumball still hadn't noticed. Not that I expected him to.

My lips curled up into another smile. But I didn't show my fangs, like I usually did. Just a regular—human?—smile. I hadn't done that in a while. Usually I showed my fangs so that people realize who has the upper hand in the situation; that I was more powerful.

Not this time.

The prince blinked and his eyes squinted, something new appearing into the magenta orbs that he uses to look around. Was it concern? No, it wouldn't be. "Marshall, what . . .?"

Oh, so he finally noticed. I don't know which he noticed, though. My fake smile. The coating of melancholy covering my eyes. My feet teetering on the edge of the cliff. Maybe he noticed all of them.

Maybe he noticed none of them.

Even so, I gazed at him, feeling all my emotions well up in my throat. I was afraid that something would burst out from my lips that I didn't want to say.

I felt a buzzing sensation start up on the tips of my elfin ears. I knew the warning well.

"Good morning, Gumball," I whispered, nearly choking on my words.

The prince looked confused. "Morning . . .?"

Just as I had stated, the bright rays of the sun peeked out from the horizon behind me. The skies illuminated and everything turned a bright orange or gold. As the light erupted into view, I saw Gumball's eyes start to widen.

Now he got it.

The sunlight burned my body, my skin audibly sizzling, but I did nothing to hide. I embraced the pain. A screech tried to escape from my mouth but I bit it back. But I couldn't keep the pained moan concealed.

I saw the prince sprint toward me, but my energy had depleted already. My body fell backward, far before Gumball reached me, and I fell off the cliff, plummeting toward the ground. I might've heard him scream my name, but I bet I just imagined it.

The wind blew through my hair, whipping my black locks around and my pale skin was bubbling from the light. Dead things were never meant to see the light of day. Therefore nature punishes us if we ever go against this rule. It would be considered the dead's suicide, so to speak. But this isn't suicide to me.

It's simply relief.

_SMACK!_

My body made a sickening sound when I landed. A puff of sweet scent billowed up from under me. it was one of the rare places in Aaa that actually smelled like grass, rather than candy, or whatever else would relate to the kingdom nearby.

Suddenly, I no longer felt pain all over my body. Was I dead—for real, now? I felt tired, and I knew I wasn't supposed to be, if I really was dead, so I guess I was still alive. Although I didn't really see how. I was in full sunlight; I should have disintegrated by now.

Slowly, I opened one of my eyes, despite my exhaustion, and found a great black furry hide shoved in my face. It took me a moment to realize that this belonged to Lord Monichomicorn, Gumball's trusted steed who appeared almost instantaneously when he called out. I wondered what he was doing. I could barely wrap it around in my mind that he was blocking the sun from me. My eyelid slid shut once again, and I tried to let the tiredness take me over.

I could hear someone's voice, although it sounded echoed and distant, like someone was calling out through the Crystal Caves' tunnel. I couldn't yet make out what they were saying. Was it concerned? Angry? Sad? Happy? A mix? I had no idea, and I couldn't tell. Slowly, at practically a snail's pace, the voice became clearer until I could make out some words.

"Mar . . . okay . . .? Marsh . . .! An . . . er me! Ca . . . ou . . . me? Mar . . . ee!"

It took another while, but I finally was able to hear—somewhat—clearly and I could tell who it was. But I didn't believe it. Gumball?

"Marshall, please, say something! Answer me! Or at least open your eyes . . . Marshall!"

I did as he said. One of my eyes opened, still overrun with exhaustion. It was blurry, but I could make out the pink figure of the prince. His features were too distorted, so I couldn't tell his expression. Why was he here? Why did he wait for me? Why didn't he leave? He certainly wanted me gone, he had made that clear.

"Good, you can hear me . . . I called Cake and she and Fionna should be here soon."

_No! _I shrieked. Well, in my mind. My voice refused to listen to me._ No, I don't want them to see me like this! I just wanted to disappear; I didn't want them to know!_

Despite my inner protests, the adventuresses came all the same. They arrived at the scene and Fionna nearly threw up. I must have looked pretty bad. I could still hear my skin sizzling, and I bet I was covered in dirt and scrapes from the fall. I might have broken some bones, but I couldn't really tell. Everything was still numb.

"Oh, goodness," the feline whimpered, seeming to shrink back behind her master. Now that certainly was a surprise. I expected the stupid cat to jump for joy when she found out the person who'd been hissing at her and frightening her on a daily basis was as good as dead. Really dead.

"Marshall . . ." the human whispered with her eyes wide. "How did . . . Why did . . ."

"There's no time for questions," Gumball murmured. "We have to get him back to the candy kingdom. I can't transport him without risking the sun getting to him again."

"I got him," the cat whispered, scampering over to me. She extended her body and wrapped me up like a blanket over a newborn baby, except she covered my face as well, leaving me some room to breathe. It was kind of creepy, since she made her face be inside the cocoon. Her big blue eyes stared at me worriedly. "Now don't you go and die in my body, you hear?"

I could only blink sleepily and lay limply in her wrappings. I felt the other two lift us up onto Lord Monichromicorn's back and we all took off.

Cake kept talking to me, urging me to speak, to stay awake, and to not close my eyes. I tried to do as she told me—you don't want to mess with a cat like her—but it was too much for me. My eyelids slid down over my eyes and I could feel myself drift away. I might have heard Cake screech something at the two outside the cocoon, but if she did, it was too faint for me to decipher.

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**I hope you guys enjoyed this! Don't worry; there will be a second chapter. Reviews are appreciated, so please tell me what you think: if you liked it, your reactions, questions you have, or something you'd like to have appear in the next chapter! Be on the lookout for the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and will review (maybe again?) because it has just motivated me even more to make this next chapter that much better! I am now aware that my chapters are not long, to most people's standards, which is a great relief. I wasn't sure what people on the website defined as 'long' or 'normal', so I'm pleased that people find this length satisfactory.**

**This chapter is in Gumball's point of view, and it begins slightly before the sun rises in the previous chapter. Enjoy!**

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Why does Marshall Lee always have to be so rude? So annoying? So . . . vampire-ish? Why can't he act like the king he is? He can never be proper, he can never be kind. At least, he can't to me. For some reason Fionna insists on spending time with him, insisting that he is a kind person. That he's not a monster.

If he isn't, he never shows me.

Now he's just staring at me, with that tiny, smug smile after he gave me back my crown. What a disgusting person he can be.

Just then he took off his axe and swung it with full force into the ground just in front of him. I flinched, as I should when something large, sharp, and potentially lethal is flung around.

"What . . . What are you doing?" I asked with nervousness, eyes wide in surprise and fear. That isn't exactly something normal that he would do. What the Grob was he doing?

Once again, his lips curled into a smile. But this one was . . . different. He didn't show his fangs. That was his signature, the thing that would set him apart from everything else—aside from the pale skin, odd attire for royalty, and dangerous instrument.

Wait; there was something else that was wrong with this picture. Aside from the smile and odd behavior with his bass, his eyes seemed . . . sad. Could vampires feel sadness? Yes, yes, of course, what was I thinking? They were human, somewhat, and alive, somewhat, so they could feel emotion. But Marshall was never one to show his feelings, right? At least, not in front of me.

Is this what Fionna meant when she said that he wasn't a monster?

And where he was standing. Right up at the edge. What was he doing? Well, he was safe. He was a vampire, after all. He could float, but, still . . . Something seemed off.

"Marshall, what . . .?"

I noticed that his ears were vibrating, even just a little. Why was that? Was that natural?

"Good morning, Gumball," the vampire whispered, so quiet that I had to strain to hear him.

I thought I heard him incorrectly. "Morning . . .?"

Then, the sun came into view. The beauty of the sunrise, with its oranges and golds and pinks, were suddenly obscured by the pain writhing on Marshall's face. He gave a tiny groan and his skin could be heard sizzling like meat in the air. I gave a tiny squeak and rushed toward him, but then he fell.

He fell off the cliff.

"MARSHALL!" I screeched, my arms reaching out to him but he was long gone. I stared with round, frightened, worried eyes and winced when he hit the ground. "Chrome!" I called into the air. In an instant my trusty steed was by my side. I pointed down at Marshall's unmoving body and he immediately understood.

I jumped onto his back as he dove downward. Just before we smashed into the ground, he pulled up with such skill and agility that I was able to jump off of his back and run to the vampire's side at the same time.

As my steed positioned himself to block the rising sun from hitting the vampire, I tentatively placed my hand on Marshall's shoulder. My hand quickly retracted at the burn of his skin, even through his shirt.

"Marshall! Marshall, wake up. Come on, say something! Move! Open your eyes! Do something!"

My voice was high-pitched in fear and at such a fast pace I nearly stumbled over my words. I kept babbling, voice getting louder and louder until a frustrated stamp interrupted me. I looked back over my shoulders as Lord Monichromicorn tapped out a message in Morse code.

"Yes, I know," I whimpered, looking back at Marshall. "I know that he's probably no longer . . . a-alive, but . . ."

Just then the vampire's eye opened. It wasn't much, and his vision seemed clouded from my perspective, but it was something.

"Marshall, are you okay? Marshall! Answer me! Can you hear me? Marshall Lee!"

I kept talking to him, only taking a moment to phone Cake—when I finally got my senses back—and telling her to come quickly. Chrome was stamping out Morse code to Marshall to keep him with us.

I turned back to the vampire. "Marshall, please, say something! Answer me! Or at least open your eyes . . . Marshall!"

I sighed in relief when he finally opened one of his eyes again. "Good, you can hear me . . . I called Cake and she and Fionna should be here soon."

Was I imagining it, or did Marshall almost seem freaked out by that statement? I didn't think about it while I was there, though.

I kept talking to him, though much more calmly now that he was visibly awake, and when the two adventuresses finally arrived, I felt even more relieved.

Until Fionna threw up at the sight of him.

Yes, I knew that he didn't look good—not at all—but I thought that was a little much for her. I'd been there for who knows how long and I haven't felt the least bit nauseous. Simply worried out of my mind.

"Oh, goodness," the feline whimpered. She slunk back behind Fionna, who was wiping her mouth. I felt a little bad for the cat. I know that she was supposed to be the motherly figure, but she was probably in reality just as prone to surprises and shock as anyone else, if not more.

"Marshall . . ." Fionna said airily with wide eyes. "How did . . . Why did . . ."

"There's no time for questions!" I mumbled, worried by their reactions. They've seen a lot of gore and injuries, and if this was worrying them so much, it couldn't be good. "We have to get him back to the Candy Kingdom. I can't transport him without risking the sun getting to him again."

"I got him," Cake whispered, going over to the vampire. I was impressed with her bravery. She'd always been afraid of Marshall, and yet she seemed generally concerned now. That motherly figure coming out from the shadows, I suppose. She encased him with her body, a perfect shield, and kept her face inward of the cocoon in order to keep talking to him, and keep him awake.

This was going to work.

Fionna and I loaded them onto Chrome's back and after we got on as well, Fionna holding onto Cake's body to keep her from sliding off, we took off.

"How did this happen?" Fionna whispered, looking up at me. I was in front of her, holding onto Lord Monichromicorn's mane. I glanced back to see her gripping Cake's arms, and staring at me with tears in her eyes.

She really cared a lot for Marshall.

"I . . . I'm not sure. We were fighting in the forest, and then he took my crown and led me up to the cliff. After that he just kind of stared at me until morning and—" I paused and groaned. "His bass is still on the cliff!"

"What? He let go of his bass?"

"Yes."

"Voluntarily?"

"Yes."

"What?!"

"What's the matter?"

"Gumball, that bass is his entire life! He'd never let go of it _voluntarily! _Unless . . ."

"Unless?"

Fionna bit her lip and shook her head furiously. Oh, I get it. Unless he was planning to die.

"Now it makes sense," I muttered.

"What?"

Before I could answer, Cake's body morphed so her head was outside the cocoon. She looked very terrified and very anxious. "We have to hurry!" she screeched.

"What's wrong?!" Fionna cried, suddenly just as worked up as her partner.

"He closed his eyes, he went to sleep! I know that he's tired and all but that's bad, right? And his breathing is really slow and—and—" The cat was near hyperventilation.

"Calm down, Cake," I soothed, petting her tail, which had frizzed with the nervousness. She calmed quickly, though still had the freaked look in her eyes. "We're nearly at the Candy Kingdom. It'll be okay."

In truth, I was probably even more scared than she was. I just tried not to show it. This was a rare moment—extremely rare—in which I had to take charge and be the brave one in place of the two.

It was really hard.

We arrived at the kingdom in record time. Immediately, we got him into the Medical Ward and the nurses tended to him straight away. They closed all the curtains and worked in artificial lighting. They shooed us all away. Well, they didn't send me away, since they didn't have that kind of right in the kingdom, but I didn't have the stomach to stay.

For a while, we all paced in the lounging area, not sure of what to do.

"We should go get his bass." Fionna started. "Cake and I will—"

"No!" I cried. Immediately I cleared my throat and tried to regain my composure. "I mean, I'll go get it. Since I was there for . . . all of that . . ." I felt my knees shake a little, recalling the recent incident. "Plus I need something to occupy some of my time . . ."

Fionna nodded. "Us too . . . I think we'll just go around. Spread the word, maybe, so people can come and say hello when he feels better."

I gave a tiny smile. Fionna was always caring like that. "I think that's a wonderful idea. I'll let you know when the surgery's over, if you're not here when I get back."

We all said our goodbyes and parted ways. I got onto Lord Monichromicorn's back and he took off back toward the cliff. When I arrived, the bass was luckily still there, untouched and not messed with. I gripped the neck of the instrument and pulled it out of the ground, which was much harder than I thought it would be.

When it finally erupted from its place in the earth, the momentum of its weight swung me around. Chrome cowered back, away from the spinning blade and I teetered on my feet, eyes wide at the humungous drop below that sat in front of me, until I regained my balance and the bass landed with a soft thud on the ground. I leaned on it, suddenly exhausted, taking deep breaths.

"How does Marshall carry this so easily?" I mutter. "He swings it around like it's a feather!"

Chrome took me back to the Candy Kingdom. When I got there, Marshall Lee was all bandaged up and his skin had been treated, but he was still passed out. The nurses had put him in one of the hospital beds and allowed me to go and visit him. After I called Cake to let her know that he was going to be all right, that's just what I did.

I sat down next to his bed for a moment, holding his bass, and just watched him. He didn't move, or do anything at all, just laid there and breathed steadily. I always wondered why he had to breathe. He was undead, after all. But I guess this was just his way of letting himself know that he was still doing something in this world. His skin was still pale, and seemed to have a reddish tinge to it from the burns, but overall he seemed okay. They said that he was lucky to not have any broken bones, since the fall was so severe. I guess the grass cushioned his fall at least a little bit.

Finally I looked down at the four strings of his bass. I plucked each one of them, going higher or lower on the scale. I didn't understand how he could play the thing so easily, It seemed like a complicated piece of instrumental, but I suppose if you had nearly a thousand years to perfect it, you could do just about anything.

A lot of pain can come around in a thousand years, too.

"Wake up soon, will you?"

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**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This one was a little harder to write, going from Marshall's edgy yet emotional narrating to Gumball's topsy-turvy-emotions narrating. I tried to make him sound at least a little more sophisticated than Marshall, although I don't know if I succeeded or not. But I hope that this side of this story might help you get the bigger picture of what was going on between the two of them, and how everything had been playing out.**

**Please be on the lookout for the next chapter, which is back in Marshall's perspective! Reviews are appreciated, so please tell me what you think: if you liked it, your reactions, questions you have, or something you'd like to have appear in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for your continued support, you guys! It always makes me happy to know that you guys are reading and enjoying this; it's very comforting! Anyway, here is the next chapter, back in Marshall's point of view, as I told you previously. I ****_attempted _****to write a song for him to sing, and it's included in this chapter, although I'm not sure if it's Marshall Lee-ish, though I really enjoyed writing it and perhaps you'll find it good as well.**

**Anyhow, I won't keep you any longer. Read and enjoy!**

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_I've been awake for a few minutes now, but I haven't opened my eyes . . . I haven't even moved . . . There's no sound . . . Where am I? I guess I should find out . . ._

Slowly, my eyes opened. The lighting was dim and I was aware that it was artificial light. After I blinked a couple of times, I found I was in the Candy Kingdom's Medical Ward. I'd hidden in here a few times. Yes, I admit, I stole a couple of pints of blood in my time. Donated, of course, nothing that would be needed. Though candy's blood was much too sweet for me to properly enjoy.

I've never tasted real, human blood.

Of course, the only human in Aaa is Fionna, and I'd never even _think _about biting her! She's my friend and I wouldn't want to ruin her life by making her like me. Because I'm a monster. Everyone knows it.

I looked around to find the curtains drawn. At least they remembered about my being weak against sunlight.

_They remodeled, _I commented, taking in the sights of the room. Since I'd been in there before, I knew how it looked before, and all the colors were different. The usual electric pink walls were much less blinding, nearly red. I liked it. Most of the other furniture was black or a shade of gray, like on a grayscale. Even the sheets that covered my body were a light gray, rather than the bright white.

_Weird._

I noticed my bass next to the hospital bed I laid in. I picked it up, smiling slightly as my fingers plucked the familiar strings. I slowly started to strum out a new melody, one I hadn't yet composed. I'd make up songs often, not putting too much thought into the notes I played or the words I sang.

I soon realized that I was singing a ballad.

_"All alone, all alone  
just leave me here on my own.  
All alone, just me alone.  
Just leave me here  
in the bright light shown._

_Refer to the  
words you left me with.  
Eliminate the  
feelings of regret.  
Allow time to pass  
on through.  
But I do not  
forgive you."_

My fingers strummed a short bass solo—really only a few seconds—but it built the pressure of the song and brought it to the climax, my voice growing louder and I didn't care what was going on around me.

_"You pushed me far,  
you pushed me there.  
You pushed me to  
fallin' through the air.  
You let me go,  
you let me know,  
just what it was  
that kept me low.  
Now I'm here,  
stuck on the ground  
while you're up in the clouds  
safe and sound.  
But I'm stuck here  
right now."_

I felt myself getting sucked into the music. My music really was my life, my passion, and my only escape. My eyes had closed like they often do when I'm composing or singing. Then I was in my own world, watching my life pass by, different stages and scenes that influenced the melody. During that ballad all I could remember were all the hurtful words that Gumball, or Cake, or Fionna, or any other creature ever said to me. I felt as if I was pouring my whole being, my whole life story into this one song. This was a rare occurrence.

_"All alone, all alone,  
just leave me here on my own.  
All alone, just me alone.  
Just leave me here  
in the bright light shown."_

I gulped as I felt even more power surge through my body and into the music.

_"Leave me here,  
all by my lonesome.  
I constantly wonder  
if I'd be better with no one.  
Just leave me be  
with all my pain.  
Another thousand years  
with nothin' to gain.  
All alone, all alone  
I've been left right here on my own.  
All alone, just me right on my own  
I was left there  
in the darkness shown . . ."_

I stopped playing and just laid there, my bass resting on my lap and my head sunk into the pillow, eyes closed. I just lay there, thinking and wondering about why Gumball did what he did, why he didn't just leave me to die. He'd certainly wished for my death plenty of times, I've even heard it with my own two ears. He was muttering to himself in his bedroom one night, after I had pranked him for the umpteenth time, and I had been eavesdropping when I heard it. _"I wish that stupid Marshall Lee would just die!"_

A small clearing of a throat withdrew me from my thoughts. My eyes snapped open to find Gumball standing awkwardly at the foot of my bed. Oh, no, had he just heard that whole song? I certainly hoped not . . .

The prince gave a small yelp and took a couple steps back, looking freaked.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I squinted. Why was he fire red? His clothes were blood red, his skin red as Fire Prince's skin, if not darker, and the rest of his attire that wasn't red was black. What was going on?

"Y-Your eyes . . ."

"What about them?"

"They're black . . . with red pupils . . ."

Oh, I got it now. That explains the weird coloring of the room and the prince. "My demon eyes."

"Your what?"

"My demon eyes. You know how I'm half demon, half vampire, right? My mom was a demon, father was a vampire, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I have demon eyes which I can activate and de-activate. It looks for sources of heat and that shows up a bright red. The rest of the world shows up as blacks or shades of gray. At least, that's how they're supposed to work."

"Supposed to?"

"Since my vampire half is more powerful, what ends up happening is that every shade of red is intensified, leaving the other colors black or gray. That way I can find something to eat, even in the smallest form."

"Well, can you deactivate them . . .? They're kind of frightening . . ."

There's that word. Frightening. I'm frightening to him. I know that he doesn't mean me, in a sense, only my demon eyes, but still. They're a part of me. They signify the demon half of me. Half of me is frightening. The other half is a monster.

"I guess it's just involuntary," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. When I withdrew my fists the room looked normal again. Gumball gave a sigh of relief. Then he started to look awkward again.

"Um, you feeling . . . okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Neither of us really knew what to say.

"Did you hear the song?" I finally asked.

"Um, yeah, a little bit of it. I was passing by when I thought I heard singing so I came in to find you playing your bass and all . . . I was really happy that you were awake so I came in before I realized that you were probably playing for your own . . . privacy . . ."

The prince looked truly embarrassed, his cheeks burning red. I could tell by his expression that he thought I'd be mad at him. But no, I was going to be the bigger person in this situation.

"Eh, it's all right," I sighed, trying not to lose it. He had heard my song! My most personal, never-supposed-to-be-heard-by-anyone ballad! "Just don't do it again."

He nodded. After a moment, he said, "Um, I'm not . . . really sure what you were singing about, but it almost seemed like you were singing about how immortality is a bad thing . . . I mean, it's good, right? Not having to worry about dying with the exception of sunlight or garlic or whatever?"

I grimaced. I should have known. Nobody ever really understands what it's like to be immortal. The consequences. I sighed and explained anyway. "Immortality is sometimes considered a gift. But it's not. You have to sit by while everyone you love dies. You just sit there and watch them die; knowing the only way to save them is to curse them as you have been cursed. And watch them suffer as they watch everyone they love die as well. So I don't turn people into vampires and I try not to get too attached to the living. I live immortally alone, with only my music."

I blinked. Oh Glob, did I really just put _feeling _and _thought _into that response like some cheesy motivational speaker? Or a poet? Or someone of _royalty?_

The pink boy looked impressed, at least. "Wow, Marshall, I didn't know that you could put . . . thought like that into it."

"Gee, thanks, that makes me so happy to hear."

"No, no! That's not what I meant! I just mean that you don't take something like that lightly, that you actually consider consequences well beforehand."

"Well I used to be Mr. Carefree, not caring about what would happen and just going for it. I had a lot of friends. But then they all died sooner or later, accidentally or naturally. It was just too painful. That's why I try to not strike up relationships anymore, unless I know that the person is going to be around for a long, _long _time."

"How long would that be?"

"Forever."

He gaped at me, as I expected he would. "So another immortal?"

"Pretty much."

"But I'm sure you're the only vampire in all of Aaa!"

"Then it looks like I'm going to have to date Glob."

Gumball laughed. He actually _laughed _at my joke. That was a first. "I think Glob's a little busy."

I chuckled. Wow, were we actually getting along? This was amazing. A miracle.

Suddenly exhaustion crashed over me, like a wave. Wow, still tired. I guess that was to be expected, after nearly dying from sunlight—which is, to a vampire, the equivalent of throwing yourself into a volcano, for a human—and falling off an enormous cliff, landing without cushion, and passing out for who knows how long. I gave a long yawn and my eyes blinked sleepily.

"You'd better get some more rest," Gumball said.

"Come on, I was just asleep for a while . . ."

"No, you were passed out. That doesn't receive nearly as much rest as sleeping does. Now I don't want you pushing yourself to your limit. Get some rest, I'll find you something red to eat when you wake up, and you'll get your strength back, okay?"

"Fine . . ."

As I drifted off back to sleep, I couldn't help but think about how he didn't mention about the reason I in this hospital bed, being so exhausted, and having to make him wait on me, in the first place.

He didn't mention that I tried to kill myself.

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**This was so much fun to write! I think I'm going to slowly work in more and more Gumlee scenes. I really hope the narrating isn't getting boring, because I know that excessive narrating can get that way. I'm trying to keep it interesting, but I can't be sure unless you guys review and tell me! I'll be getting the next scene up, which is going into Fionna's point of view. I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying the story, though, I love writing this and your comments just motivate me to write faster and better than I would without them!**

**Reviews are appreciated, so please tell me what you think: if you liked it, your reactions, questions you have, or something you'd like to have appear in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I was busy with my other fan fictions, primarily my Rise of the Guardians one. However I have finally written the next chapter after getting inspiration. Thank you everyone for reviewing, deciding this is a favorite, and following.**

**Read, enjoy, and review!**

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Today was a good day. That is, until Gumball had called Cake. I'd fought monsters like I did everyday—the lava dragon was especially hard—and lounged around. I'd played another game B-MO had downloaded, which was somewhat boring, but entertaining for what I had played. I even managed to get a nap in after three o'clock. Marshall and I had an argument that morning after he had scared Cake for the umpteenth time. It was getting especially bothering. We were both angry when he left.

I had gone to sleep, still feeling upset at Marshall. Then Cake and I had been rudely awoken by my friend's phone giving a loud shrill ringing. I groaned and turned over, burying my head under the pillow, trying to block the sound. I heard Cake answer it and talk into it, mumbling. Then jolting awake. I hadn't thought much of it.

"Uh, Fi?" Cake whimpered after she hung up.

"What?" it was obvious of my annoyance.

"The call . . . it was about Marshall . . ."

That name. It brought back my bitterness. My face soured. "What about him?" I spat with a sharp tongue.

"He . . . He's been in an accident." I felt my heart stop. Accident? "Gumball needs our help getting him to the kingdom."

We had run out as fast as we could.

Cake explained to me what had happened on the way over. Marshall had been exposed to sunlight—a _lot _of sunlight. I could feel my fear bubbling inside of me. Just a few hours ago he had been fine. I'd been so angry at him. Now all I could think about was if he was okay.

When we arrived, I expected the worst. But my stomach still lurched. His skin was bubbled and a sickening green, pus spitting from certain areas. Absolutely, utterly disgusting.

We managed to get him back to the Candy Kingdom—I'm still really proud of Cake for wrapping him up despite appearances—and the nurses tended to him.

I couldn't stand staying in that waiting room. I needed to do something productive. When Gumball pounced on the chance to get his bass, I was left with spreading the word.

I didn't want to.

But I did, anyway.

Cake took me to different towns and I explained what had happened to the vampire king. At each town, I gave a similar speech.

"Marshall Lee, the Vampire King, has been in a very dangerous situation early this morning. He was exposed to an enormous amount of sunlight and nearly died." My voice always cracked at that part. "However he is now resting in the Candy Kingdom under Prince Gumball's care. We all believe he is going to recover just fine."

"Can we go see him?"

That was always the response. Marshall was beloved by a multitude of people. I don't think he ever realized just how many people really did love him. I smiled. "Of course you can go see him."

That's how the day went for me and Cake. Every village that Marshall was known in—which was quite a few, to be honest. When we were finally done, Cake let me ride on her back to the Candy Kingdom.

"That was exhausting," I complained as I lay on her fuzzy back, staring up at the twinkling stars.

"But worth it," Cake advised. "Did you hear how many people wanted to go see Marshall? I'm sure he's going to be so excited when he finds out how many people care for him."

A small smile played across my face. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's go see him too."

"Where do you think I'm headed?"

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**This chapter turned out a ****_lot _****shorter than I anticipated. The next one will be posted extremely soon, back in Marshall's point of view. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry again about how ****_short _****the last chapter was! I did not expect the length to be so miniscule! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this following chapter. I suppose it can be considered a little emotional. Please read, enjoy, and review!**

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_"BOO!"_

_Gumball gave out a loud shrill shriek and he dropped his test tubes, two of them shattering against the floor. I laughed loudly as I turned visible._

_"Marshall what the grob?!"_

_I couldn't stop laughing, so I said in between cackles, "Y-Your face! Th-that _scream!_"_

_"You scared me half to death!"_

_"Would that make you kind of like me?" I smirked, showing off my fangs._

_"NO, Marshall. I don't ever want to be like you."_

_"Hey, why not? You live for an eternity and you can scare people whenever, perfect everything . . ."_

_"I don't want to be a freak."_

_I stopped laughing immediately, face gone slack. I looked at him with a hard stare. "What do you mean 'freak'?"_

_"You're a freak. Something that shouldn't exist here. You're supposed to drink blood but you don't .You drink color."_

_"It satisfies my hunger."_

_"Not as much as real blood. You're not even a real vampire which makes you _more _of a freak."_

_"You really shouldn't talk like that to me. I am a _king _and you're just a _prince._"_

_"You denied your crown. You don't look over your kingdom. You're not really a king. You're a wannabe."_

_"That seems out of your vocabulary."_

_"It suits you well though."_

_I gulped hard. "Gumball, you're a real jerk."_

_"So what if I am? At least I'm not some _undead, teenage, wannabe, punk vampire!_"_

_I bared my fangs. "You're really tempting me to suck out all of that blood from your body, Bubba."_

_"Go ahead; I dare you." He drew out his arms like a conductor facing an orchestra. "Right here on the neck. Suck me dry."_

_I hesitated. What was Gumball _doing? _Did he honestly want me to kill him? "No, I—"_

_"I knew it."_

_"Knew what?"_

_"That you really wouldn't do it. You're a sissy and a freak, Marshall. You don't even deserve to live. I don't know why I saved you up on that hill."_

_Hill. What was he talking about? Wait, no, I vaguely remembered . . ._

_"Why did you save me?" I whispered, starting to float away. Something was off. Something wasn't right._

_"Because I pitied you. Or I thought it was a test. The big bad Marshall Lee committing suicide? No way. But obviously I was wrong. You're just some pitiful _thing _that wants to die."_

_"You made me want to die. You and Fionna and Cake—"_

_"Oh, sure, blame us. I'm sure we just shouted at you to kill yourself. No, Marshall, you did this to yourself. It's your own fault and you know it."_

_I couldn't believe this. Not only because he was insulting me and being so casual about it but because he was _right. _I did do it to myself. It was my own choice and I had made it yet I was blaming them. But they had made me think those things. If they hadn't said such things to me . . ._

_The feeling. It was back. That heavy, overpowering feeling of despair and regret and sadness and feeling _so lonely. _I couldn't stand it. I didn't want to be here. It was suffocating me, all of it. Which was ironic, considering I didn't have to breathe, but still. I remembered the feeling well. Every last detail . . ._

_"Here."_

_Gumball tossed me something that he got out of nowhere. I caught it with ease and my skin prickled. I looked down and realized what it was that he had thrown to me._

_A stake._

_My eyes grew wide and I looked up at him. He looked emotionless at me. "Go on, Marshall. Do it."_

_"I—"_

_"I know you want to."_

_I gulped. He was right. Again. I did want to do it. More than before, even, because I knew that he wouldn't try to stop me this time. There was no chance. No one _wanted _to stop me._

_My fingers curled around the wood and I turned it so the sharp end pointed toward me. I brought my wrist back and glanced up at Gumball. Just as my arm was thrusting toward my chest I saw it._

_I saw him smile._

()()()

I opened my eyes and was met with the big eyes of Candi Gumdrop, one of the children that lived in the Candy Kingdom. "W-What?!"

"He's awake!" Candi cheered, jumping off of my bed. That's when I noticed all the other people surrounding my bed. There seemed to be people from every single village or town in the Land of Aaa, at least, of all the towns I've visited. The other people cheered and started chattering excitedly, most of it seeming to be said toward me.

"Are you all right?"

"I hope you'll recover."

"Could you sing us another song?"

"We all came to see you!"

I was so shocked at the sheer amount of people and the deafening amount of voices around me. They had all come to see me? Why was that? How could all these people care about an undead teenager like me?

"Marshall!" Ah, I recognized that voice. Fionna pushed through the sea of people to get to the edge of my bed. She grinned her adorable smile, revealing her missing teeth and crooked pearly-whites. "Are you feeling rested?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess." My voice was dry.

"Well come on!" She helped me out of bed. I still felt a little disoriented, after lying down for who knows how long. "We have something we wanna show you!" She began to lead me away from my bed and I only just had enough time to snatch up my guitar before we disappeared into the crowd.

Fionna tugged on my arms and I stumbled, trying to avoid stepping on anyone's toes but for the most part they backed away when my axe added to the mix. Finally we got out of the crowd and she opened the doors to the halls of the palace, ushering me out.

"What's this about?" I asked. My tongue felt numb and the words came out a little garbled.

"You'll see!" She kept grinning as she led me to the main ballroom, where Gumball usually held his vast amount of parties, or festivities or revelries or merrymakings or bashes or hootenannies or get-togethers or . . .

How many names for a _party _can there be?

Fionna had to stop me from running into the two double doors. She laughed. "Still out of it?"

"A-A little . . ."

"Well here!" She pushed open the doors with her massive strength and I nearly did a double take.

The whole room was decorated with red and black streamers. There was Halloween decorations pinned to just about every wall surface. The floor had been painted checkerboard black-and-red. A few tables were put out with refreshments including punch bowls with candy eyeballs, or bat cookies, tiny bass lollipops, and mint fangs. A bunch more people than there had been in the infirmary were walking about, talking and laughing. The biggest thing that stood out to me was the giant banner hanging from the ceiling that read "_Get Well Marshall!_" in great large letters with red paint that ran like blood.

"Marshall Lee!"

I looked away from the banner to see Gumball striding over, grinning. I blinked a few times, thinking my eyes were deceiving me, but no, it was true. Gumball had fangs.

"What's with your teeth . . .?" I asked weakly.

"Oh, this?" He spit out the fangs into his hand, beaming. "Mint fangs. They're by the refreshments. Hard to wear like real teeth though . . ."

"What . . . What is all this . . .?" My voice was cautious as I still tried to figure out what exactly was going on.

"It's a get well party!" Fionna explained, standing beside Gumball. She smiled at me.

"But what's with the decorations?"

Gumball gave a short laugh. "We figured you'd like it. All dark and Halloween-y you know? All vampire!" His smile became a little softer. "We wanted you to know that we appreciate you for who you are."

I blinked and looked around, taking everything in a second time. The dark colors. The fangs. The bats. The blood-type writing on the banner. The _eyeballs _in the punch.

"I can't believe you did this . . ." My voice came out in a breathy whisper.

"It was no trouble," Gumball insisted.

"No, I can't believe you _did _this!" My voice had risen to a near shout, drawing the attention of some of the other guests to the party.

Fionna looked a little concerned. "Marshall, what's wrong?"

"What's _wrong?_ What's wrong is that you guys think I'm some kind of Halloween freak! That I'm full of death and blood and eyeballs and darkness!"

"Isn't that what a vampire is?" Gumball's look became confused. "Blood? No sun? Bats?"

_"No!" _I gave a frustrated groan and flew up to the banner.

"You shouldn't be flying yet!" Fionna called, but I ignored her. I pointed at the letters.

"Bloodied letters? For a _get well _sign? Have you no _shame?!_"

Gumball was looking a little pale now. "I-I thought . . ."

"No, you didn't think! You used stereotypes and your own lowly opinion of me to make . . . this!" My fists shook and my dream kept echoing in my mind. "You hate me, I get that! You don't have to go to such lengths to make me think otherwise, Gumball! You don't have to pretend!"

"Marshall, you don't understand!"

"Of course I do! I'm a thousand years old—I've understood for a long time what the land of Aaa thinks of me! I'm a freak show! A thing of legend! Something that kills."

"That's not true!" Fionna squeaked.

"Don't act innocent! You thought I was bad at first too! You thought I was going to suck up your blood or kill something that didn't deserve to die! That's what _everyone _thinks!"

Gumball bit his lip. "Please Marshall, just come down . . ."

"No, I won't!" My hands tightened around the neck of my bass. "I'm sick of all of this fake sympathy or whatever! Just leave me alone like I'm supposed to be!"

With that I flew out the window, thanking Glob that it was dark out. If it wasn't it would've made for a very un-cool finale.

"Marshall!" I heard Fionna call from the window but I didn't look back. I couldn't look back. I could barely see ahead, in fact, because there was some stupid water in my eyes, fogging up my vision. I didn't want to look back, anyway. I didn't want to see them ever again.

Because the feeling was filling my chest again.

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**The next chapter is the big emotion chapter. I hope you all are still keeping up with this story even though it's taking AGES for me to post the next chapters (which, again, I'm so sorry). Please review, they're much appreciated! (And they give me motivation to write the next chapter!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's a bit more on the emotional side, which I hope you are all right with. Although considering how some previous chapters were a bit emotional, the emotion in this one shouldn't be too much of an issue. But if I make you tear up a little, I'll feel accomplished! Also, this is in Gumball's POV now.**

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"Chrome!" Gumball shouted into the air as he raced toward the stables. My great black steed came out from his resting spot, tapping out Morse code. "Yes, I'm sorry you were sleeping. But Marshall ran off and he's not healed yet. I'm afraid he's going to get really hurt."

I climbed onto his back and spotted Fionna racing towards us. "Gumball, please, wait!"

"I'm sorry, Fionna, but I have to go find him."

"Let me and Cake find him!"

"No, this . . . This is my mess. I need to clean it up."

"It was equally my mess!"

"You didn't decorate the party. You came up with the idea. I was the one who—"

"Just shut up!" Cake snapped. Both me and Fionna gave her shocked stares.

"Cake!" Fionna cried.

The feline ignored her. "Listen here, Gumball. Quit beating yourself up about it. You made a mistake. We get that, but Marshall doesn't. And you can't take responsibility for everything either, you hear? You need to let us take care of some things once in a while!" I gave a sigh and nodded. "Now you go and find Marshall. We'll search too but we'll let you know if we find him. You were with him when he fell at dawn and I'm sure there's something that led up to that. There must be something you want to clear up."

"Yes, that's correct . . ."

"So get moving!"

I gave a determined nod and took off on Lord Monichromicorn. Marshall had been heading east, so that's where I headed. I told Chrome to keep an eye out for him, while I did the same. After nearly half an hour of flying, I spotted him on the same hill that he had tried to kill himself not even twenty-four hours earlier.

I directed Lord Monichromicorn toward the base of the hill. I told him to stay and that I'd talk to Marshall on my own. My steed seemed uneasy about it but nodded reluctantly. After giving him another stroke on the muzzle I turned and began climbing up the hill.

When I emerged to the peak of the cliff I found Marshall sitting on the ledge, staring up at the stars. His bass was discarded a few feet away, forgotten. It pained me to see the bass so far away from its owner. I gulped and walked closer.

"Marshall?"

I saw the vampire stiffen up. "What do you want, Gumball?"

"To apologize." I sat down a few feet away from him. I didn't think he wanted me to be near him.

"Really?"

"Yes. I should've known better than to create a party like that for something that was supposed to be telling you to get better. I should've—"

"Should've done this, would've done that!" He hunched over and I could almost feel the anger emanating off of him. "But you didn't. You get it? You followed your stereotypes, and you did what you thought I'd like because that's what you think I am. Some creature that lurks in the night waiting for its next helping of blood."

"It's not like that!"

"Of course it is! Don't you fool around with me!" Marshall turned around to face me and I saw the hurt in his eyes, making me feel even worse than I already did. "I have heard you, okay?"

"What?"

"You know that the whole 'vampires need to be invited in' thing is a complete lie. You also know that I always turn invisible and lurk around your castle. That's how I scare you. Well I've heard your multiple conversations with Fionna. 'He's such a freak!' Or 'Why doesn't Marshall just leave me the grob alone?!' Oh, here's a fine one! 'Glob I hate that idiotic vampire! I wish that stupid Marshall Lee would just _die!_'"

I paled with every example he gave, especially since he was right. I had complained about him time and time again. But I had been upset. He had scared me out of my wits, or was being a butt to me, or just _something. _I never truly wanted him to be gone from Aaa.

I started, "M-Marshall—"

"No! Just shut up!" Marshall looked away, crossing his arms. "I get it. A lot of people hate me. They think I'm a freak. They think I will kill them. You have no idea how many villages I've visited only to be run out of town with disgusting garlic or wooden stakes. But what really hurts is when people who I know think that I'm horrible act all nice to me."

"But . . ."

"Yourself included, you pompous prince! I've heard enough from you to know that you hate it when I come around, but when you know I'm there and I don't scare you first you act all nice. 'Do you want some strawberries?' Or 'Would you like to stay for the day? I know the sun hurts you and I _so _don't want you to burn up into oblivion!'" He brought his legs up from the ledge and held them close, resting his chin on his knees. "I don't even get why you didn't let me just die the other day."

"Because I don't want you to die, Marshall!"

"Correction: you don't want my blood on your hands. You were there and you knew that if you didn't try to do something to help me then you would've contributed to my death. You're selfish like everyone."

"That's not true."

He looked over to me, eyes flaring with anger, all the hurt and sorrow long gone. "Yes, it is! I know how people think! I know that that's all that was running through your head!"

"Look! This—This incident you were involved in—"

"There's that too!" He finally stood up, starting to actually seethe in his fury.

"What?"

"Why don't you just admit it? Why don't you just _say_ it?!"

"Say what?"

"That I tried to kill myself!"

I didn't reply and only stared up at him with wide eyes. He looked away from me and let out a low growl.

"You keep avoiding the issue," he whispered. "You probably don't even remember what we were fighting about that day."

I opened my mouth to object when I found that I really couldn't remember. I was completely blanking on what it was that had gotten me into such a fury that I had screamed at him "Why don't you just _leave?!_"

Marshall turned his head toward me, giving me a sad, sarcastic smirk. "It's because I made fun of your crown."

My jaw fell open in surprise and I realized that he was right. He had often made jests about my crown—calling it a tiara, or saying it belonged to a princess—and for some reason I had just lost it when he made his latest comment. That was also why I had run after him when he had taken it. Normally I would've just shouted at him to come back or that I would get him punished to the furthest extent, but I had actually _run after _him, just to prove how much I loved my crown. And it ended up I was just following him to his suicide attempt.

"So I get it, okay?" The vampire's voice was soft and just sounded tired. "You want me out. You want me to stop crashing your parties, and scaring you, and bothering you when you're working. You want me to just stay out of your business."

"Marshall, that's not—"

"No. _No. _I don't want your fake sympathy just because you feel guilty, all right? I'm—I'm just done."

"Don't talk as if you're going to try it again."

"What, you mean killing myself by turning to dust by sunlight? No, of course not. I'm doing that again." He turned away so his back was facing me. "I'll just be out of your life, okay?"

Without waiting for my reply he transformed into a bat, taking off into the sky and disappearing in the darkness. I gave a defeated sigh and buried my face in my hands. How could I have done that? How could I have just gotten so mad at him about something so simple? How could I have never noticed just how broken he'd become?

When I lifted my head back up I saw that he had left his bass. I stood and picked it up, feeling confusion fill me.

_"Gumball, that bass is his entire life! He'd never let go of it _voluntarily!_ Unless . . ."_

I felt my heart ice over. Marshall had left his bass. His bass is all that he is. He never leaves it anywhere.

_"What, you mean killing myself by turning to dust by sunlight? No, of course not. I'm doing that again. I'll just be out of your life, okay?"_

I nearly lost my balance. It made sense. I realized what he had been doing. I realized what he'd meant. I understood. He had said he wouldn't kill himself by sunlight.

He had never said he wouldn't kill himself.

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**Reviews motivate me, so please review and get my muses working again!**


	7. Chapter 7

**My muses have been at level zero, for every single one of my stories, but I ****_finally _****written this chapter! It is, I am sad to say, is the conclusion of this story. It's been a long, good run, and I hope you all enjoyed reading!**

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I just couldn't _take it _anymore. I was sick of it all. Just sick of _everything. _Sick of the fake sympathy, sick of the fake smiles, sick of this eternal life. Everyone around me was going to die and I'd be left on my own. That's what happens when you're immortal and I'm the only one around.

It sucks.

I couldn't help it—memories kept flooding into my mind even when I tried not to think about it.

The first time I met Fionna and Cake. That had been fun, scaring the stuffing out of them, and Fionna had protected me in the end against her psycho cat . . . But she never really understood. She'd tell me that I could go to her but I really couldn't. Not really.

The first time I met Gumball. Nobody really understood the history between us. We had been really good friends at one point in time . . .

I shook my head, trying to stop the early memory from plaguing my mind. It didn't matter if it was a good one or a bad one. It hurt to think about it.

_Concentrate, Marshall. Think about what's ahead._

You always hear stories about that eternal bliss that you'll receive after you died. That light that you go into. The Cosmic Owl. All of that stuff. Why couldn't I have that? Why did I have to keep going on and living with all these memories?

Glob, I wanted what everyone else got.

I swooped into the cave and arrived at my cottage. It was quaint and bright looking compared to the dreary cave but I didn't mind. Somehow it always managed to make me a bit happier to see it.

Not today.

I transformed back into my 'human' form, if you could call it that. I resembled a human, I guess. I didn't go inside, though. Instead I went to the steps that led up to the front door and reached under them. My hand hit against something sturdy and a sharp end pricked my finger. I barely flinched as I pulled it out.

The long wood was smooth but the end was jagged and rough from careless whittling. I remember carving the stake just over a century ago after I had broken it off with Ashley. She had sold Hambi. I shivered as I recalled all the stuff that had happened that year. Still, I tried to ignore it and turned the wood over in my hand. My dream flashed into my mind.

I saw Gumball and his anger. His smirk. His harsh words echoed.

_ "I don't want to be a freak."_

_ "You denied your crown. You don't look over your kingdom. You're not really a king. You're a wannabe."_

_"You don't even deserve to live. I don't know why I saved you up on that hill."_

_ "I pitied you."_

That feeling swelled again. The suffocation, the loneliness. It sent shivers down my back. The words just wouldn't _stop! _I looked down at the stake, remembering the one that Gumball  
had thrown to me in my nightmare.

_ "Go on, Marshall. Do it."_

His voice had been so clear. It was so real. Maybe it wasn't a dream? Maybe somewhere in me I knew that he had said it one day. Perhaps he truly did want me to do this?

_ "I know you want to."_

Of course I did. I wanted peace like every other creature got when they died. Why did I have to be the only one to deal with this eternal life? What did I have _left? _Some 'friends' who considered me a Halloween freak? That's not worth it.

I slowly rotated the stake so it was pointed toward me. This was scarily like my dream. The wood, the words in my head, the only thing that was missing was—

"MARSHALL!"

My eyes flicked up to find Gumball standing at the cave's entrance with wide eyes. I watched his face for a split second, waiting for the smile. For the smirk. For the _satisfaction._

Instead he started running toward me.

Time seemed to stand still as my thoughts raced through my head. _Why is he coming toward me? What's in his voice? Worry? Panic? Over _me? _No, I must be mistaken. It's a trick, isn't it? I just want peace. I don't want to have to be so confused over this anymore. I don't want to be hated anymore!_

I squeezed my eyes shut and drove the wood point into my chest, pain overtaking for a second before it all went black. But one thing did strike my mind as everything disappeared.

He didn't smile.

()()()

_"What in the Grob are you wearing?"_

_The small pink boy, probably no more than thirteen, looked up—well, more like flinched up. His hair was gooey pink and his skin was a similar shade, though paler. Even his eyes gleamed with the pastel image. His clothes though—tight sleeves with large oval shoulders, a tight chest and thin stomach that seemed to be held together with a corset. And his shoes—his narrow, pointed, _heeled _shoes—were the most disgusting shade of purple I've ever seen._

_"Wh-Who are you?" he asked nervously, closing the book he'd been reading. It was strange to find the boy sitting up in a tree, in the middle of the Candy Forest, no less! And in such a ridiculous outfit? Where was this kid from?_

_"Marshall Lee," I answered, fighting the urge to grin. Instead I gave a closed-mouth smirk. "King."_

_"You're a king?" He looked surprised, with wide eyes, and scrambled down from his perch. Immediately he bowed, hands folded behind his back. "I apologize if I was rude."_

_I laughed. This kid seemed genuinely freaked out that he hadn't referred to me correctly. I contemplated scaring him but thought that I could do that later instead. "No, you're fine. Who are you?"_

_He straightened. "Prince Gumball of the Candy Kingdom."_

_"Candy Kingdom?" Was this kid serious? The Candy Kingdom that owned this entire forest and this kid is their _prince? _Fascinating. That explained his outlandish clothing, at least._

_The prince nodded. "That's correct. King Marshall, may I ask what you are king of, exactly?"_

_I felt my giggles build suddenly and I let some escape. I grinned wide, revealing my fangs. His eyes had grown wide and he shrunk back immediately. "Why, I'm the Vampire King, ruler of the Nightosphere."_

_"Vampire . . .? I thought they didn't exist."_

_"I'm one of the few," I admitted as I laughed again. _

_I crept forward, allowing my eyes to change to my demon eyes. He gave a yelp and pressed his body up against the trunk of the tree. I drew closer and bared my fangs, starting to lean toward his neck. He closed his eyes and quivered visibly, waiting to feel my teeth pierce his skin. Instead I snatched a bit of his hair from his head and drifted back, floating in the air._

_"I'm not gonna turn you," I snickered as I popped the hair into my mouth. As I expected, it was made of candy. Very sweet bubblegum, in fact. "I just like scaring naïve people like you."_

_"Naïve . . .?" He slowly opened his eyes._

_"Yeah. See, I eat shades of red . . . rarely actual food and not blood. I guess sometimes I will but only if I'm really weak, you know?" I blew a bubble and it popped with a loud smack._

_"You took some of my hair . . ." He touched where I'd taken some of his hair and I just laughed._

_"Better than taking your blood, isn't it?" I swooped around for a minute, thinking. "Why are you out here anyway, your prince-liness?"_

_"Just reading. I can never get any silence in the kingdom so sometimes I just come out here to leave."_

_"Perhaps I'll have to come and visit, then?" I grinned and spit out the wad of gum. It landed on a squirrel's head and it squeaked, scampering off. I laughed._

_"Hey, that's mean!" Gumball protested._

_"It was an accident." I shrugged. "And anyway I'll come visit you."_

_"Why would you do that?"_

_"You're interesting. I'd like to see more of you." I gave a wink. "I promise I won't eat you. As long as you have something to entertain me."_

_He gave a small chuckle. "Sounds good, I guess." He started laughing and covered his mouth as if he was too embarrassed to show his laugh to anyone. "Sorry, I don't really get the chance to be carefree in the castle . . ."_

_"You don't?" I grinned. "I may have to change that."_

_He finally dropped his hand and looked at me, giving a wide grin. "I'd love that." He giggled again, blushing brighter than his skin . . ._

()()()

My eyelids flickered and my eyes searched around. There were horribly bright lights over me. I think I was lying down and I saw shadows over me. I couldn't focus on anything, though. Everything was fuzzy and there was so much pain in my chest. I tried to move but instantly found that my limbs were strapped down to whatever I was lying on. My arms tensed and I began to struggle, desperately trying to get away from whoever had tied me up.

"He's awake!" a muffled voice called.

"He's getting hectic; calm him!"

"Pump in anesthesia! Put him under!"

The flurries of voices were all around me and I saw dark figures looming over me. A feeling of distortion suddenly washed over me and I felt my limbs slowly grow numb again. The light overhead dimmed and faded until I was gone away from whatever world I had entered.

()()()

_"You need to kill them."_

_Gumball looked up at me, horror spread across his face eighteen-year-old face. "I will not!" He stood from his desk and stared at me as if I'd just suggested murdering the entire Candy Kingdom. Which I had _not, _for that matter._

_"They're Door Lords," I snapped. "No matter what you do they'll break out and continue to wreak havoc on everyone."_

_"I can jail them."_

_"They're _Door Lords _for Glob's sake!"_

_"I am not putting them to death simply because it would be 'easier'!"_

_I crossed my arms and glared. "I'm simply telling you what will work. If you don't want my opinion you shouldn't have asked me to stay."_

_"I didn't! You appeared here like you always do and it's sickening!"_

_"Oh, I sicken you now, do I?"_

_"Yes. Or at the very least you annoy the Grob out of me!"_

_My eyes narrowed and my blood boiled with anger. "Then perhaps I should just leave then? Get out of your life? I can go vacation in the Nightosphere for a hundred years."_

_"Go right on ahead!"_

_"Fine!" I turned and flew out of the room, exiting through a window. I could feel my rage building and I wanted to lash out and bite something. I wanted to go and kill the Door Lords myself, save Bubba all the trouble, but I knew he'd just hate me even more. Instead I scowled and everything darkened around me._

_Suddenly all I heard was voices._

_ "You're just always lumping off somewhere and expect me to be here to entertain you whenever you come back!"_

_"I don't want to see you in this kingdom again, Marshall."_

_"Hey _Marshall_."_

_"You can come over again . . . if you want."_

_"I don't even remember what we fought about."_

_"The shirt? Of course I kept it . . ."_

_"Now I don't want you pushing yourself to your limit."_

_"I'd love that . . ."_

()()()

I opened my eyes, luckily not getting blinded by lights this time. Instead I was met with dim light and the feeling of too many pillows under my neck. I gave a small moan and turned my head to find something that I never expected in my undead life.

First I found that I was back in the Candy Kingdom's infirmary, in the same drab bed that I'd been in before. However what surprised me was that I found Gumball sitting in the chair next to the bed, asleep against the mattress with his head on his mangle of arms.

_How am I alive . . .? _I thought blurrily. My chest hurt a little bit and I didn't want to move than absolutely necessary. But I was so confused . . .

"Gumball," I mumbled, mobbing my arm to shake him a bit. He sat up and blinked the sleep out of his eyes, seemingly relieved to see me.

"You're awake!" he murmured happily, rubbing his eyes. I noted that he wasn't wearing his normal annoying prince-attire. Instead he was wearing the T-shirt that I'd helped him, Fionna, and Cake retrieve from the Door Lord.

"What are you wearing . . .?" My eyes searched him for any signs of regret or anger beneath this happiness but all I could find was relief and joy.

"The shirt." He looked down and smiled. "Like I said, I wear it all the time."

I shook my head slightly. "Um, what happened?"

Gumball's face fell. "You tried to . . . to kill yourself." Before I could say anything he continued hastily, "But I managed to bring you back and I put you in for a surgery . . . I think your aim was off or you passed out too quickly because the wood didn't hit your heart completely . . . only a few chips of it, really, but it still nearly killed you." He swallowed painfully. "But the doctors took out the splinters and stitched you back up—"

"Why did you take me back." My voice was blunt and it didn't sound so much like a question as a statement.

"Because I don't want you to die."

"Don't say—"

"Stop it. I don't." He gave me a hard look. "Marshall. I was wrong, okay? I was rude by thinking that just because you are a vampire you like creepy-crawly stuff like that. But you were always liveliest at night, or at horror shows, or Halloween parties. I assumed. But I'm sorry." The prince gave a sigh and looked down. "I don't know what's been going on with you, but I'm sorry and I don't want you to just . . . give up like this."

I stared at him with surprise. His whole speech, even if it sounded cheesy, was true. I did act a certain way in certain places and usually it had to do with scaring people or acting like vampires from storybooks. That's how I acted to Fionna when I first met her, after all. How could I blame them and act like it's their fault that I had tried to this to myself when it's what they had thought was right?

I opened my mouth to say something when the doors into the infirmary burst open. We both looked over to find Fionna and Cake run in.

"Dude we were so worried about you!" Fionna cried as she nearly tackled me. Cake had managed to hold her back before the leap but I still flinched at her tone.

"We've been looking all over for you," the cat explained. "Gumball called us an hour ago."

"What happened?!"

I looked down at my lap. "Um . . ."

"Accident," Gumball spoke up. "I found him and we were arguing . . . again. We lost track of time and the sun hit him again. My fault."

Fionna's expression twisted like she didn't really believe him, but I piped up, "It's true."

"It's barely a couple hours past dawn," Cake mumbled.

"It took a while for him to find me," I said slowly, searching for reason. "It was just an accident and I was already weak from before."

Fionna gave a small nod. "Okay . . . are you all right, dude?"

I nodded. "I got a lot of thinking done . . . I'm good." I offered up a grin to convince her. She grinned back and both her and Cake began talking eagerly about various things—probably in an attempt to cheer me up more.

My gaze wandered as she kept talking and I offered the occasional mumble or murmur to show that I was still listening. I noticed Gumball walking out of the infirmary. He looked back and we locked eyes for a moment. He gave a faint smile before leaving.

My hand grazed my chest and I felt the stiff indents and roughness of the stitches over my heart. The scars left behind by them would be permanent, but it would also be a reminder. I smirked and leaned back onto the bed's pillow.

Yeah. I'd be fine.

* * *

**Okay, so technically I have no idea if there could be a surgery to save Marshall but I figured that if in the Land of Ooo there is a surgery that can save Bubblegum after falling into the Lich's acid pool and incidentally turns her thirteen years old, there should be a surgery to save a vampire.**


End file.
